Some regard the 993 twin turbo cars as the pinnacle of the 911. It's refinement, yet traditional to the air-cooled platform, and blistering performance, still makes it demanded by enthusiasts. The current owner has had other Porsche's and found this 993TT on a dealer lot, and like a lost puppy dog it called out to him, it was purchased and the enjoyment ensued. After the reality set in of a used car, we were approached on working up a game plan. As always the list can be endless, but some objectives were given and needs had to be addressed. We will present the project in stages, and explain the road as we go with pictures and text.

Some background on the car, its close to 10 years old, has had 5-6 owners, and lack of paperwork was not very comforting. The positives are the no accident car, it has been kept inside from the elements, and for the most part it is in decent shape. At close to 60k miles it is ready for an overhaul on most systems. The advantage of needing replacements? We can upgrade, and create a 993 with tremendous performance, yet maintain some refinement.

The objective is to create a car that can be driven on track for DE events, and the car can be driven on the street on trips, and "sightseeing". The balance of performance and safety are the considerations. Now onto the project.

One major need was the gearbox, it made some noises in 5th and 6th gear, had some odd gear noise when engaging 1st. The clutch was on it's way out as well. Another need was the suspension, it had been installed but far from being dialed in, with squeaks, and knocks.

Stage 1

One major need was the gearbox, it made some noises in 5th and 6th gear, had some odd gear noise when engaging 1st. The clutch was on it's way out as well. Another need was the suspension, it had been installed but far from being dialed in, with squeaks, and knocks. The plan was to fix what was necessary, and upgrade where needed. Part of the plan was to do the project in stages, and not every component on the car all at once, that way the owner could see each parts impact, and learn to drive the car along the way. Step one was "honing" what we had, and preparing for the pending engine rebuild, 3.8L GT2 build-up. Oh yeah thats coming, but first we need to ready the chassis.

The gearbox was removed and torn apart to source the noises going on, our suspicions were correct with teeth missing off first gear (which is made onto the mainshaft), probably from stop light launches or drag racing earlier in the car's life. Someone had also had the gearbox apart once before and not used the proper hardware, or even bothered to torque the nut that held the gear clusters together (where our noise on 5th and 6th was coming from). In short it was close to self destrcution time. Glad we caught that! Since the gearbox needed repair and we had everything apart we opted to install the RS clutch package. This transforms any 964 or 993 in pedal feel, and performance. Needless to say the owner was impressed with the refinement saying "that's the way it should have been from the beginning!" With a through system check-out, fresh fluids it was ready fo action once again.

The H&R coilover package had been installed but some of the details with proper alignment, and set-up had been ignored. We got the rear swaybar set-up, and a proper alignment again transforming road feel and handling. Brake service with PAGID pads, bleeding the system with some high quality fluid, and new brake rotors in the front brought out what the owner was looking for. Confidence in the car. The OE wheels were discovered to be bent and tires close to expiration, so in the plan we had talked about a wheel and tire package, so that part of the plan was put into motion. Complimenting the suspension was the addition of Fikse wheels and some Michelen hides. A great set of wheels always transforms a car and the subtle satin finish chosen on these wheels brought out a great "refined performance" feel to the whole 993TT. With the nature of custom built wheels allowed us to spec a slightly wider wheel for front and rear. Some minor fender massaging allowed the new package to fit perfectly.

Going Through the car's systems in Stage 1 of this project was to make sure we had safety in mind, and the need to have comfort and performance for the track days it would get accustom to attending. Seats and some interior equipment were discussed and blended with the rest of the car in "less is more". Recaro sport seats with comfortable cloth were chosen, and Willans harnesses installed paying careful attention to installation. The Brey-Krause harness mount bar was installed to allow performance minded equipment such as race seats, and harnesses to fit nicely, and safely in a street car. A Brey-Krause fire bottle mount and fire bottle was also installed in the passenger compartment to have a small bit of insurance in case of the unthinkable. Another small bit was to delete the cassette holder in the center console. What's a casssette?

We have nearly completed Stage 1 of getting the car up to par with maintenance, the systems needing attention, and a through examination to make sure everything was on the up and up. Now that a couple of Driver's Education events are under the belt and the desire to attend more and more in 2006, we are preparing for Stage 2 of project 993TT.

Some things to think about in the mean time are going to be some engine software, exhaust system, and some other refinements in preparation of the engine re-build. Discussion of a 993 GT2 3.8L Evo build up have taken place, so a full out bonsai street machine maybe in the making.

preparation of the engine re-build and Stage 2 of more horsepower, stay tuned!!

s